Skyler Bell came to UConn for a chance to be “the guy,” the No. 1 option on a competitive team.
After a year becoming just that, the Huskies’ star wide receiver tested the transfer portal waters and seemed to be taking the path of UConn’s other recent top receivers as schools like Michigan, the 2024 national champion, reportedly expressed interest.
But on Saturday, Bell decided he’d stay in Storrs.
“PACK THE RENT,” was the capitalized message he posted to social media, urging fans to fill up the Huskies’ home stadium in East Hartford next season as he captioned a blue graphic that read: “I’M BACK.”
Originally from the Bronx, Bell attended The Taft School in Waterbury and then Wisconsin, where he spent three years before transferring to UConn ahead of the 2024 season.
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In his first year in Storrs, Bell led the 9-4 Huskies with 860 yards on 50 catches, hauling in a perfect 38-yard pass from Joe Fagnano to score the first touchdown of the Fenway Bowl, his fifth of the season. He had the most productive season for a UConn receiver since 2016, when Noel Thomas recorded 1,176 receiving yards on twice as many catches.
The announcement is significant for UConn as it makes its best effort to compete with power-conference programs despite being independent, without major revenue coming from a TV deal. Bell’s return means the Huskies will not lose their top receiver for the third year in a row after Aaron Turner left for Cincinnati in 2022, and Justin Joly went to NC State following his team-best 578-yard campaign in 2023.
The transfer portal window closed for UConn players on Thursday and will not open again until the 10-day spring window from April 16-25.
